Rajasthan ends 30-year two-child rule for local polls, opens doors for candidates

With the decision, candidates with more than two children will now be eligible to contest panchayat and municipal elections in the state. The move reverses a provision introduced in 1995 during the government led by former Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, marking a major change in Rajasthan's local governance framework.

Announcing the decision, Law Minister Jogaram Patel said the Cabinet has approved the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Rajasthan Municipal (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

"With these amendments, the restriction barring candidates with more than two children from contesting Panchayat and municipal elections will be removed. Both Bills will be passed during the current Assembly session," he said.

Patel noted that the two-child norm was originally introduced as a population control measure. However, he added that the socio-political context has changed considerably over the years, making the provision outdated.

The removal of the restriction is expected to significantly alter the local political landscape. Several grassroots leaders and potential candidates who were previously disqualified under the rule will now be able to contest elections. Leaders from both the BJP and Congress at the village and district levels had been affected by the norm.

Political observers believe the move could widen participation and intensify competition in upcoming Panchayati Raj and urban local body polls.

The demand to scrap the two-child norm had been raised repeatedly in the Assembly over the years. Legislators across party lines, including Congress MLA Hemaram Chaudhary and BJP MLA Chandrabhan Singh Akya, had questioned why the restriction applied only to Panchayat and municipal elections, and not to Assembly or Lok Sabha polls.

Several social organisations and public representatives had also submitted memorandums seeking its removal, arguing that the rule was discriminatory and inconsistent. The scrapping of the two-child norm is being seen as a landmark decision in Rajasthan's electoral reforms and is likely to have a direct impact on forthcoming Panchayati Raj and urban local body elections.

In another major decision, the Cabinet approved the Ayurveda and Naturopathy University Bill, paving the way for the establishment of a new Ayurveda University in Ajmer to promote traditional medicine education and research.

Deputy Chief Minister Premchand Bairwa announced the creation of a Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Economic Offences, to be headquartered in Jodhpur. The new body will focus on curbing banking and financial fraud, share market and multi-level marketing scams, and land fraud through cooperative societies. Around 60 posts have been sanctioned.

Industry Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said the estimated cost of the Bharat Mandapam project on Jaipur's B-2 bypass has been revised from Rs 3,500 crore to Rs 5,800 crore. He asserted that the project is expected to generate revenue exceeding the investment and will not burden the state exchequer.

The Cabinet also approved the allocation of 53 acres of land for an iron ore mining project in Udaipur, involving an estimated investment of Rs 500 crore. The project is expected to boost industrial activity and create employment opportunities in the region.

- IANS